Aaron Woodard can brag that he already has a leg up on his father. And the Denver East senior will get another chance to outshine dad.
Woodard, the 17-year-old son of Denver golf courses director Tom Woodard, claimed the junior division of the 2004 First Tee Open at Pebble Beach when he teamed with Craig Stadler. The First Tee Open at Pebble Beach is a regular stop on the Champions Tour, but it also allows seniors to play with junior players selected nationally by the First Tee program.
The best Tom Woodard could do in three years on the PGA Tour was 10th in the 1982 Quad Cities Open.
“I’m really proud of the way Aaron played and handled himself,” Tom Woodard said.
A 4-handicapper, Aaron was selected to participate in this year’s tournament (Sept. 2-4), along with 29 other junior golfers who have displayed excellence in academics, character and leadership. As the defending junior champion, Aaron will give a speech during the welcoming dinner on perseverance, one of nine core values embraced by the First Tee program.
Aaron Woodard said it was a joy playing with Stadler.
“Hopefully, we’ll be partners again; he was so much fun to play with,” Woodard said. “I didn’t think he’d be as down-to-earth as he is. He was real easy to talk to.
“I was a little nervous. But once I got out there playing, I tried to concentrate on just playing.”
“Aaron gained valuable experience that he couldn’t get anywhere else,” Tom Woodard said. “He played on Sunday, before a large crowd, on national TV, on one of the great venues in the world in Pebble Beach.
“And he got a taste of what winners go through, at the awards and then being taken to the press room. How can you place a value on that?”
Stadler called the experience “a dream week for these kids.”
Tom Woodard said his son won’t find out if he is again paired with Stadler until after the field arrives at Pebble Beach.
Footnotes
Lost amid all the hoopla surrounding victories by Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods the past two weeks is that Vijay Singh’s tie for third at the NEC Invitational marked his 51st top-10 since the start of the 2003 season. According to the PGA Tour, that’s the most during a three-year span since Raymond Floyd’s 52 from 1981-83. … Every golf swing needs a tune-up now and then, including top touring pros’. During the week of The International, Jonathan Kaye took lessons from Dennis Murray, lead instructor at the Ridge at Castle Pines North. The tips appear to be helping. On Sunday, Kaye banked $324,000 for placing second at the Reno-Tahoe Open. He had not finished better than 50th in a tour event since tying for sixth at the Memorial Tournament on June 5. … Parker’s Shane Bertsch is on the verge of returning to the PGA Tour for the first time since 1997. With $241,298, Bertsch ranks seventh on the Nationwide Tour money list. The final top 20 earn promotions for 2006.
